EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010, 2017 2004, 2010, 2017 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 145 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017 BATTING AVG.: .225 (6th) April 9, 2018 -- Game #4, Home Game #4 BATTING AVG.: .231 (5th) TEAM HR: 5 (T-1st) TEAM HR: 3 (T-4th) WALKS: 13 (T-7th) Harrisburg Senators (2-2) vs. Altoona Curve (3-1) WALKS: 12 (T-9th) STRIKEOUTS: 42 (3rd) RHP Wirkin Estevez (2017: 4-1, 3.63) vs. LHP Taylor Hearn (AA Debut) STRIKEOUTS: 34 (8th) TEAM ERA: 3.79 (9th) TEAM ERA: 2.75 (4th) WALKS: 7 (11th) 6 p.m. | Peoples Natural Gas Field | Altoona, Pa. WALKS: 16 (T-2nd) STRIKEOUTS: 31 (10th) STRIKEOUTS: 40 (T-5th) () -- EL Rank Radio -- Talk Radio 98.5 FM & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV () -- EL Rank UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Tues., April 10 Harrisburg 6 p.m. RHP Brady Dragmire (0-0, 1.59) vs. RHP J.T. Brubaker (0-0, 1.80) Wed., April 11 Harrisburg 6 p.m. RHP Jefry Rodriguez (0-1, 5.06) vs. RHP Dario Agrazal (0-0, 0.00) Thurs., April 12 OFF DAY Fri., April 13 at Erie 6:05 p.m. LHP Brandon Waddell (0-0, 1.59) vs. RHP Spencer Turnbull (0-0, 1.93) YESTERDAY: In his 2018 debut, top-ranked Pittsburgh prospect Mitch Keller tossed six shutout innings with eight strikeouts as the Curve beat the Akron RubberDucks, 4-0. Tate Scioneaux pitched two scoreless relief innings and Geoff Hartlieb com- 2018 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS pleted the shutout in the ninth. Pablo Reyes drove a two-run double to open the scoring in the second inning and Will Craig hit a two-run homer in the fifth, his second home run in two games. Team W-L PCT GB Today Altoona 3-1 .750 -- v. AKR TODAY: The 20th Season of Altoona Curve Baseball, presented by Stuckey Subaru, continues at Peoples Natural Gas Field Erie 3-1 .750 -- @ BOW as the Curve face the Harrisburg Senators, Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in the opener of a three-game Harrisburg 2-2 .500 1.0 @ ALT series. Altoona opened the season winning three-of-four at home against Akron, while Harrisburg split a four-game series at Bowie 2-2 .500 1.0 v. ERI Bowie. Richmond 2-2 .500 1.0 @ HFD Akron 1-3 .250 2.0 @ BIN THE CURVE: Heading into the 2018 season, the Curve are the only team in the Eastern League who have qualified for the postseason in each of the last three years. After back-to-back wild card berths, Altoona was the Western Division's top seed 2018 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS heading into the postseason in 2017. With four of the top-six MLB.com Pirates prospects and nine of the top-30, the Curve Team W-L PCT GB Today have the most decorated prospect roster of Pittsburgh's minor league affiliates to start the year. Top-ranked prospect Mitch New Hamp. 4-0 1.000 -- @ TRN Keller returns after dominating in the E.L. postseason last season. Notable Curve newcomers include 2017 Florida State League All-Stars Dario Agrazal, Jake Brentz, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Logan Hill, Christian Kelley and Cole Tucker. Bryan Reynolds, Binghamton 3-0 1.000 0.5 v. AKR part of the package of players sent to the Pirates in the Andrew McCutchen trade on January 15, joins Altoona this season. Trenton 2-2 .667 1.0 v. NH Elvis Escobar, who was a standout offensive performer in last year's E.L. postseason, returns for a third year with the Curve, as Reading 1-3 .333 3.0 v. POR well as 2017 E.L. All-Star Wyatt Mathisen. Portland 0-3 .000 3.5 @ REA Hartford 0-4 .000 4.0 v. RIC THE SENATORS: Last year, the Senators finished 20 games under .500 in last place in the E.L. West with the second- worst overall record in the Eastern League. They return Yadiel Hernandez, who hit a team-best .296 in 2017 (min. 70 games 2018 CURVE AT A GLANCE played) with 12 homers and 59 RBIs. The Harrisburg roster includes outfielder Daniel Johnson, who is ranked as the Nation- Overall Record ........................................... 3-1 als' No. 9 prospect by MLB.com, third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez (No. 10), pitcher Jefry Rodriguez (No. 17) and outfielder Home ................................................... 3-1 Rafael Bautista (21). Road .................................................... 0-0 FOR ALTOONA: Left-hander Taylor Hearn takes the mound for his Double-A debut. He spent last season with A-Adv. Bradenton, where he averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings and held opponents to a .207 batting average over 17 starts Place (E.L. Western) ................................ T-1st and one relief outing. He was placed on the disabled list in July with a left oblique strain and missed the remainder of the Games Ahead/Behind ................................-- Florida State League schedule. He did return to make one scoreless, two-inning outing in the Gulf Coast League on Septem- ber 2. After the season, he pitched for the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League, where he went 2-0 with a 3.06 Streak ............................................................W2 ERA and struck out 14 in eight outings (four starts). Hearn was picked up by the Pirates along with current major league closer Last 5 ............................................................. 3-1 Felipe Rivero on July 30, 2016 in the trade that sent RHP Mark Melancon to the Nationals. Today marks his second appear- Last 10 ........................................................... 3-1 ance against his former organization. He made his Pittsburgh organization debut on August 2, 2016 at Hagerstown in relief (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO). 2018 vs. Harrisburg .................................. 0-0 at Altoona ......................................... 0-0 Right-hander Wirkin Estevez makes his 2018 debut. He made 11 starts for the Senators last season FOR HARRISBURG: at Harrisburg ................................... 0-0 and went 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA, after going 4-3 with a 3.88 ERA in 11 starts with A-Adv. Potomac. Estevez signed with the Nationals in 2010 out of the Dominican Republic and was selected as a 2010 DSL Mid-Season All-Star. All-time vs. Harrisburg ....................185-158 at Altoona ...................................103-64 THE STARTING LINE: Curve starting pitchers have combined to go 1-0 with a 0.79 ERA (2 ER/22.2 IP) over the first four at Harrisburg ................................82-94 games of the 2018 season, the best start for Altoona starters since 2015, when they were 1-0 with a 0.43 ERA (1 ER/21.0 IP) through the first four games. That year, starting pitchers Jason Creasy, Zack Dodson, Tyler Glasnow, Chad Kuhl and Angel ‘18 Home Attendance .........................13 , 731 Sanchez began the year 6-0 with a 0.71 ERA (6 ER/75.2 IP) over their first 14 games. Home Openings ............................................4 Average Attendance ............................2,784 WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A HOMER: On Saturday, Will Craig clubbed a three-run, go-ahead home run, the first of his Double-A career. He followed with a two-run homer on Sunday afternoon. A first-round pick by the Pirates in 2016, Craig hit 37 home runs over his three-year career at Wake Forest. So far as a professional, he has combined to hit ten hom- ers. Craig and Logan Hill are tied for the E.L. lead with five RBIs. Craig also ranks tied for second with five runs scored. BROADCAST INFORMATION COLE TRAIN: Dating back the end of the 2017 regular season, Cole Tucker currently holds a 20-game on-base streak, which is the second-longest active streak in the Eastern League. In that span, the switch-hitter is batting .354 (28/79) with five doubles, two triples, two homers, 16 RBIs and 15 runs scored. ROSTER: The active 25-man 2018 Curve roster has 14 players who have worn an Altoona uniform prior to this season. 11 Trey Wilson, Nate Bowen and Garett Mansfield will be playing at the Double-A level for the first time. There are 13 pitchers and 12 position players on the roster. 21 of the 25 will call the action of the 2018 season on players were originally signed or drafted by the Pirates. the flagship of the Curve, Talk Radio 98.5 RYAN RETURNS: Indiana, Pa. native Michael Ryan returns for a second season leading the Curve in 2018. Last season, FM/1240 AM WRTA in Altoona. Pregame he picked up his second straight championship as a manager after winning the Florida State League title in 2016 with the Bra- coverage begins 15 min. before all games. denton Marauders. He served as a coach with the Curve in 2012 and went on to manager the Single-A West Virginia Power The Curve can also be heard on the following affiliate the following two years. He managed Bradenton from 2015-16. As a player, Ryan was drafted by the Minnesota Twins out of stations for selected games: Indiana Area High School in 1996 and went on to play 15 professional seasons, - WKMC 1370 AM in Roaring Spring ON THE HOMESTAND including four in the majors with the Twins from 2002-05 and one with the Angels in 2010. He is joined on his staff by second-year pitching coach Bryan Hicker- - WPHB 1260 AM in Centre County Games ........................................................................ 4 son, new hitting coach Keoni De Renne and coach Stephen Morales. - WWGE 1400 AM in Ebensburg Record ....................................................................3-1 - Online streaming at AltoonaCurve.com pro- The Curve roster features nine of MLB.com's Top 30 Pirates PROSPECT WATCH: vided by TuneIn Radio Average ...........................................